The invention concerns an incontinence article in the form of pants for receiving body excrements, comprising a front belly section and a rear back section, which are connected to each other at side seam areas on both sides during production to form a belly and back band, which is continuous in the transverse or peripheral hip direction and has a hip opening that is closed in the peripheral hip direction, and a crotch section which has an absorbent body and extends in a longitudinal direction between the belly section and the back section, and is permanently attached to the belly section and to the back section, wherein the crotch section as well as the belly section and the back section define the leg openings of the incontinence article. A three-component incontinence article of this type is disclosed e.g. in WO 2004/052260 A1. In this specific product concept, an H-shaped basic structure of the incontinence article is realized by joining the crotch section, which extends in the longitudinal direction, to the belly section, which extends substantially in the transverse or peripheral hip direction, and to the correspondingly extending back section when these three components are flatly extended. The incontinence article is then modularly designed from the components crotch section, belly section and back section. These components are advantageously initially connected to each other via the crotch section, and preferably after that, the side seam areas of the belly section are connected to those of the back section on both sides. This connection is realized by the manufacturer to obtain the shape of pants. This connection is typically permanent. However, it may also be provided that the pants can be opened, in particular, along a breaking line which may extend, in particular, in the side seam area, e.g. for removing a used incontinence article from a person who is in need of care.
Incontinence articles in the form of pants differ, in principle, from incontinence articles of normal diaper shape that can be opened and closed in that the hip size is generally predetermined and the article can be adjusted to different body sizes by providing a number of different basic sizes that can be elastically stretched. Towards this end, elastification means, in particular, in the form of bands or threads, often called Lycra threads, are generally connected in a prestrained state (stretch-bond method) to chassis materials of the incontinence article, i.e. they are fixed in the prestrained state to the chassis materials e.g. by means of glue. Due to their pretension, these elastification means gather the chassis materials to thereby form crimps. The incontinence article or the elasticised chassis materials of the incontinence article can be elastically stretched again when the incontinence article is applied to the user like pants. Several incontinence articles in the form of pants comprising elasticised chassis materials of this type have been disclosed and are discussed e.g. also in the above-mentioned document WO 2004/052260 A1.
The development of incontinence articles in the form of pants showed that a maximum area of the incontinence article should be elastically flexible, i.e. be stretchable in accordance with the body shape of the user. One therefore assumed that a maximum part of the cover-forming chassis materials of the incontinence article should be provided with elastically stretchable or elasticised materials, in particular, by introducing the above-mentioned elastification means in the stretch-bond method, which assumption is not always correct. Irrespective thereof or in addition thereto, one tried to elasticise the leg openings of the incontinence article, if possible, in a continuous fashion in order to obtain reliable side leakage protection.
However, one did not recognize that elastification of chassis materials, in particular, by introducing linearly extending elastification means, also entails considerable disadvantages. An extensive, i.e. substantially continuously extending elastification of chassis materials makes the pants-shaped incontinence article, to a certain degree, generally adaptable to different body shapes, i.e. the article can be at least properly positioned on the user. This often generates very large tensile stress in the chassis materials, which has a negative effect on the user. The elastification means thereby often cut into the skin surface of the user, which is perceived as unpleasant and can cause pain, skin irritations and, in particular, in a humid climate, even skin injuries. Highly strained chassis materials often tightly abut the skin surface of the user, which, even when breathable materials are used, produces a humid micro climate in the region of the skin surface, which can also have severe consequences in view of the skin surface of the user. In this case, instead of a gas phase, a liquid phase forms directly next to the skin surface. Irrespective thereof, great pretension in the area of the elastification means produces a great amount of frills, i.e. a large number of folds or crimps per centimeter (as viewed in the direction of the elastic action of the elastification means). This three-dimensional wavy structure is then pressed against the skin surface with great strain exerted by the elastification means, and causes relative motions, in particular, when the user is highly mobile, which again irritate the skin surface and cause unpleasant or even medically problematic skin irritations.
Whenever elastification means are guided in a curved shape or transverse direction with respect to a machine direction, which is often done to obtain an extensive elastification substantially of the overall chassis material, there is the problem that, due to the component transverse to the machine direction, a larger path must be covered, thereby increasing the pretension of the elastification means in the course of the stretch-bond method. This typically results in a stronger elastic strain resistance of the corresponding chassis areas compared to areas where the elastification means are introduced extending in the machine direction, which could, in turn, cause severe problems.
Departing therefrom, it is the object of the present invention to improve an incontinence article of the above-described type with regard to wear comfort, in fact, in areas of the belly section and back section, which face away from the hip edge of the incontinence article, i.e. face the crotch area, where the above-mentioned problems are usually the most critical.